The name Matheson comes
from the Gaelic MacMathain, "son of the bear" not to be confused with the
English Matthewson which is simply 'Son of Matthew'. The MacMathans were settled in
Lochalsh in Wester Ross from an early period. Kenneth MacMathan, constable of Eilean Donan
is recorded in both the Norse account of the expedition of King Haakon IV against Scotland
in 1263, and in the Chamberlain Rolls of that year, which culminated in the defeat of King
Haakon at Largs. The Mathesons fought for Donald of the Isles at Harlaw in 1411 and
afterwards Chief Alastair, leader of 2000 men, was arrested by James I at Inverness and
beheaded in Edinburgh in 1427. He had two sons; John from whom the Mathesons of Lochalsh
descend and Donald Bain from whom the Sutherland Mathesons, "Siol Wohan"
descend. John, was constable of Eilean Donnan Castle under Mackenzie, 9th of Kintail, and
was killed defending the fortress against the Macdonalds of Sleat in 1539. His grandson
Murdoch Buidhe had two sons Roderick of Fernaig and Dugald an Oir of Balmacarra. John (Ian
Mor), son of Roderick bought Bennetsfield on the Black Isle c. 1688 and with his family
left Lochalsh. The chiefship remained in this family, the Mathesons of Bennetsfield until
1975 when the then chief Colonel Bertram Matheson of Matheson, M.C. died without issue.
Dugald an Oir was the progenitor of the Mathesons of Attadale and Lochalsh, Alexander of
that family (b. 1805) bought back the Lochalsh estate in 1851 and was created Baronet of
Lochalsh in 1882. His grandson Major Torquhil Matheson of Matheson, 6th Baronet of
Lochalsh succeeded Colonel Bertram by tanistry. From the Sutherland Mathesons descend Sir
James Matheson of the Shiness branch. He joined the well-known mercantile house of
Jardine, Matheson and Co. of India and China where he amassed a large fortune. He bought
the island of Lewis and was created the Baronet of Lewis in 1851 for his exertions and
generosity in aleviating the sufferings of the inhabitants of the island during a per iod
of famine. Descendants of the Lochalsh and Siol Wohan Mathesons are to be found today in
Australia, Canada, U.S.A. and New Zealand.

CARE
is taken by the historians of this clan to draw a distinction between its
patronymic and that of the Lowland families whose original name was
"Mathewís son" The Highland name, they point out, is Mac
Mhathain, "the son of heroes," and the chiefs of the clan
claimed to have been settled on the shores of Lochalsh in the west of
Ross-shire as long ago as the time of Kenneth MacAlpin in the middle of
the ninth century. According to tradition they were among the followers of
that king in his wars with the Picts, whom he finally overthrew at the
great battle of Cambuskenneth near Stirling in 838. They claimed to be of
the same blood as the MacKenzies, whom they aver to have been the junior
line. A certain Coinneach, or Kenneth, who was chief in the twelfth
century, they say left two sons. From the elder of these Cailean or Colin,
the Mathesons were descended, and from the younger, Coin neach or Kenneth,
the MacKenzies took their origin. In the beginning of the fifteenth
century the Matheson chief was strong enough to defy the Earl of
Sutherland, and upon the latter descending upon Lochalsh, intent upon
punishing so presumptuous a person, he was actually defeated and slain by
the Mathesons. The scene of the encounter is still pointed out at a spot
known from the event as Cnoc an Cattich.

Alastair MacRuari, who
achieved this feat of arms, was among the turbulent chiefs of clans who
supported the Lord of the Isles in his claim to the earldom of Ross and
his struggle against the power of the Scottish kings. In the struggles of
those times he is said to have been able to bring as many as 2,000 men
into the field. Every student of Scottish history knows how those
troublers of the peace were dealt with by James I. upon his return from
his long captivity in England. Summoning them to a "Parliament"
at Inverness, he promptly arrested the most dangerous of them, executed
some on the spot, and carried others to Edinburgh, where a number more
were tried and condemned to the same fate. Alastair MacRuari was among the
latter, and was executed in 1427.

Alastair left a widow with
two sons, and his widow presently married again, her second husband being
a son of Macleod of the Lews. This individual took advantage of the youth
of his stepsons to endeavour to establish himself in possession of their
property, and at last, finding themselves probably in actual danger, the
lads fled from Lochalsh. While the younger went to Caithness, John, the
elder of the two, betook himself to his motherís father, the chief of
the Mackintoshes. He did not, however, give up the hope of recovering his
patrimony, and by and by, having arrived at years of manhood, he obtained
from his grandfather a force of men for his purpose, and set out to
surprise the usurper. It was night when the party arrived at Lochalsh, and
having observed the utmost precautions of secrecy, young Matheson
succeeded in his purpose. Making a sudden assault, he set the castle on
fire, and as the garrison was forced to come out they were slain or
captured by the Mackintoshes. Anxious to save his motherís life,
Matheson took up a position at the gate, and when she appeared, she was,
by his orders, safely passed through the lines of the Mackintoshes. In the
midst of the tumult, however, and flashings of the torches, it was not
perceived that she was walking in an unusual way. She was wearing an
arisaid, or wide plaited garment with heavy folds doubled around the hips.
Under this she had managed to conceal her husband, and in a few moments
the latter was beyond the light of the torches and able to escape in the
darkness.

The Matheson chief then
took possession of his patrimony, but he was not allowed to enjoy it long
in peace. MacLeod, hastening to the Lews, raised a considerable force,
with which he returned and deliberately invaded the Matheson country. In
the encounter which took place he was finally forced to retreat, and as he
fell back upon his birlinns or galleys, his force suffered severely from
the flights of arrows poured into it by a company of Matheson bowmen under
a certain Ian Ciar MacMurghai Mhic-Thomais. From this incident the battle
is remembered as Blar-na-saigheadear. But MacLeod was not yet completely
discouraged. Once more he gathered his men on the Lews, and once more came
back. But in this second attempt he was defeated and slain, and the
MacLeods troubled the Mathesons no more.

Meanwhile the MacKenzies
had gradually risen to be a clan of great power in the region, and in
their island fastness of Eilandonan, at the mouth of Loch Duich, they were
able to resist the attacks of all their enemies. The Macraes and the
Mathesons in turn deemed it an honour to be appointed constable of
Eilandonan, and a later Matheson chief, John, greatly distinguished
himself in discharge of this duty. It was at the time of the great feud
between the Macdonalds and the MacKenzies. Again and again the savage
Donald Gorm of Sleat, on the coast of Skye, opposite, raided the MacKenzie
country, but in these attacks Eilandonan was successfully defended by the
Matheson chief. At last, however, as he stood by a window watching the
progress of the defence, Matheson was struck down and slain by a Macdonald
arrow. This was in 1537.

By that time the Mathesons
had greatly diminished in influence, and John Mathesonís son Dougal
possessed no more than a third of the ancient Matheson property on
Lochalsh. Even that property he was in danger of losing by engaging in a
dangerous feud on his own account with Macdonald of Glengarry. This
powerful chief had established himself on the shores of Loch Carron at
hand, and he presently seized Matheson and threw him into prison, where he
died.

This incident brought about
the final ruin of the Mathesons. With a view to avenge his fatherís
death, and recover his lost territory; Dougal's son, Murdoch Buidhe,
relinquished all his remaining property, excepting the farms of Balmacara
and Fernaig, to MacKenzie of Kintail, in return for the services of an
armed force with which to attack Glengarry. The lands thus handed over
were never recovered, and neither Mathesonís generalship nor the force
lent him by MacKenzie seems to have been equal to the task of forcing
terms upon Glengarry. Murdochís son, Ruari, the next Matheson chief, had
more satisfaction, when, as part of the following of Seaforth, the
MacKenzie chief, he set out to punish Glengarry. On this occasion
Glengarryís stronghold of Sron, or Strome, on Loch Carron, was stormed
and destroyed. By this time the Mathesons appear to have been merely the
"kindly tenants" of Seaforth; in course of time that kindly
tenancy, or occupation on condition of rendering certain services, was
changed into a regular rent payment, and Balmacara and the other Matheson
properties passed from the hands of the chiefs of that name for ever. The
family was afterwards represented by the Mathesons of Bennetsfield, and in
1822, it appears, from a MS. history of the clan quoted by James Logan,
author of the letterpress of MíIanís "Clans of the Scottish
Highlands," the lineal representative of the ancient heads of the
clan was a certain Alexander Matheson who lived in Sallachie. The
Chiefship is now believed to be held by Hayling Matheson, who is resident
in England.

In the middle of last
century, however, two members of the clan succeeded in restoring the name
to even more than the distinction it had enjoyed in the Highlands during
the patriarchal and feudal centuries. Sir James Matheson, Bait., a cadet
of tacksman stock, who had acquired vast wealth, and attained the
distinction of a baronetcy by commercial enterprise in the East, became
the owner, first of the great Highland estate of Achany, in the old clan
neighbourhood, and afterwards purchased the great island of Lewis in the
outer Hebrides. For the latter he paid no less a sum than £190,000 and he
afterwards spent some £340,000 in improving his purchase. Among other
great works he built the existing castle of Stornoway, on the site of old
Seaforth Lodge, formerly the residence of the Earls of Seaforth who
previously owned the estate. Half a century ago it was truly said,
"No instance of improvement in recent times within the United Kingdom
has been more striking to the eye of an observer, more compensating to the
proprietor, or more beneficial to the population. Its details have
comprised draining, planting, road-making, the reforming of husbandry, the
improvement of live stock, the introduction of manufactures, and the
encouraging of fisheries, all on a great scale, and with good
results." In the policies of Stornoway Castle alone the work carried
out included ten miles of carriage drives and five miles of footpaths.
"Previously little more of the land of the island than a narrow belt
along the shore had been in cultivation, the rest being a dismal expanse
of bog and moor. The improvements carried out by Sir James Matheson,
however, may be said to have literally made the desert blossom like the
rose. Alas for the patriotic and altruistic efforts of Sir James, the
island a generation ago became the special field of the efforts of land
agitators, who introduced discontent and trouble. Crofterís commissions
and land courts have also played their part in interference, with the
result that in the spring of 1918 Sir Jamesís heir, Colonel Duncan
Matheson, found it desirable to dispose of the island to Lord Leverhulme,
head of the great firm of Lever Brothers, soap-makers on the Mersey.
Happily Colonel Matheson still retains Achany, and so the house of the
clansman who did so much for the welfare of the
Highlands is still represented in the old clan country.

Another notable figure is
that of Sir Alexander Matheson of Ardross, who promoted the Highland
Railway, and through the influence of the Sutherland family brought about
the extension of the line to the far north, an enterprise that brought new
prosperity to the northern Highlands. It is interesting also to note that
the management of the Highland Railway to-day, as part of the London,
Midland, and Scottish group, is in the hands of a clansman, Mr. Donald A.
Matheson.

Another branch of the
ancient family of Matheson of Lochalsh is represented in the district by
Sir Kenneth James Matheson, Bart., of Lochalsh, whose seats are at
Gledfield House, Ardgay, and Duncraig Castle, Plockton, at the mouth of
Loch Canon. Sir Kenneth is descended from Farquhar Matheson, tacksman of
Fernaig in Lochalsh in the latter half of the seventeenth century,
Farquhar Mathesonís mother having been a daughter of Alexander MacRae of
Inverinate. Farquhar Mathesonís eldest son, John, acquired Attadale in
1730. Johnís grand-nephew, another John Matheson, gave up Fernaig in
1810, having married in 1804 a sister of Sir James
Matheson, Bait.; and his eldest son, Alexander, who was M.P. for the
Inverness burghs and Ross-shire from 1847 to 1884, acquired the lands of
Ardentoul and Inverinate, and in1851 crowned his purchase by securing the
barony of Lochalsh, the ancient patrimony of the chiefs of his clan. The
present baronet, Sir Kenneth James Matheson of Lochalsh, is his eldest son.

Thus it will be seen that
the fortunes of the Matheson clan have been happily restored in that clanís
ancient country, though the lands may no longer be held by the direct
lineal representatives of the ancient chiefs.

Sept of Clan Matheson:
MacMath, MacPhun, Mathie.

Another account of the Mathiesons

The name Mathieson, or Clan Mhathain, is said to come from the Gaelic
Mathaineach, heroes, or rather, from Mathan, pronounced Mahan, a bear. The MacMathans were
settled in Lochalsh, a district of Wester Ross, from an early period. They are derived by
ancient genealogies from the same stock as the Earls of Ross and are represented by the MS
of 1450 as a branch of the Mackenzies. Kenneth MacMathan, who was constable of the castle
of Ellandonan, is mentioned both in the Norse account of the expedition of the king of
Norway against Scotland in 1263, and in the Chamberlain's Rolls for that year, in
connection with that expedition. He is said to have married a sister of the Earl of Ross.
The chief of the clan was engaged in the rebellion of Donald, Lord of the Isles, in 1411,
and was one of the chiefs arrested at Inverness by James I, in 1427, when he is said to
have been able to muster 2000 men. The possessions of the Mathiesons, at one time very
extensive, were greatly reduced, in the course of the 16th century, by feuds with their
turbulent neighbours, the Macdonalds of Glengarry.

Of this clan Mr Skene says, "Of the history of this clan we know nothing whatever.
Although they are now extinct, they must at one time have been one of the most powerful
clans in the north, for among the Highland chiefs seized by James I at the parliament held
at Inverness in 1427, Bower mentions MacMaken leader of two thousand men, and this
circumstance affords a most striking instance of the rise and fall of different families;
for, while the Mathison appears at that early period as the leader of two thousand men,
the Mackenzie has the same number only, and we now see the clan of Mackenzie extending
their numberless branches over a great part of the North, and possessing an extent of
territory of which few families can exhibit a parallel, while the one powerful clan of the
Mathisons has disappeared, and their name become nearly forgotten".

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